Bersatu faces an uphill task, says Ku Li

Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said, this is because the party was only open to Bumiputera while the rest could only register as associate members.

This would only make it difficult for the new party, established by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to receive widespread support from Malaysians as associate members were not allowed to vote or hold any post in the party, he said.

"The younger generation are now more exposed, knowledgeable, educated and more open.

"As such, when associate members have no power to determine the direction of the party, it will seem less appealing to the younger generation," Tengku Razaleigh said after officiating a cultural heritage exhibition fair of Malay and Chinese artifacts at the Museum of Asian Art at University of Malaya.

Elaborating further, the Gua Musang MP said, Bersatu is different from Semangat 46, which he formed in 1988, to ensure UMNO members who were kicked out from the party did not join the UMNO Baru party – also founded by Dr Mahathir.

At the same time, he said, Semangat 46 was established with a strong footing which enabled it to open several divisions and branches.

On the other hand, Bersatu, Tengku Razaleigh said, has to start from the bottom which is definitely harder, especially at a time when even the opposition are finding it difficult to win the hearts of the people due to their constant internal bickering.

Still, he was confident that Dr Mahathir's influence and position would be enough to woo supporters.

But the government also needed to use everything in its power to prevent the people to cross over and join the opposition, he stressed.

Nevertheless, Tengku Razaleigh said his loyalty lies with UMNO and denied receiving any offer to join the new party.

"I don't see anything wrong in it (being an UMNO member). If I find something wrong, I will forward any proposals or ideas from within the party.